DYNAMICS IN THE RESOURCE REPRODUCTION OF ATRACTYLODES LANCEA (THUNB.) DC.

Seedlings and vegetatively propagated offsprings of A.lancea,a Chinese traditional medicine"Cangzhu",were researched in order to understand their biological characteristics and the mechanism of the resource reproduction.It was proved that with the changes of age, the plant presented a series of developmental improvements on rhizome morphology, dry weight and the composition of chemical components, although variations have been found among individual plants. Propagation methods showed no distinct actions on the increasing rate of the dry weight of rhizomes.The amounts of the components of volatile oil in rhizomes firstly decreased and then increased very slowly with aging.The significances of two propagation methods on the cultivation of Cangzhu and its resource reproduction were also discussed.